Gospel Verses - Atonement

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24 "But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5 "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit" 1 Peter 3:18 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." John 3:36

Gospel Verses - Rebellion

"but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." Isaiah 59:2 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment," Hebrews 9:27 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

Gospel Verses - God

The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalms 19:1 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2

Forgotten God by Francis Chan - Audiobook FREE @ Christianaudio.com

Francis Chan's new book, Forgotten God, is available for free in the month of June 2010 at Christianaudio.com . Each month Christianaudio.com releases another free book online, don't miss out!

Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips - #2 - The Holy Spirit's Work

Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips - #2 - The Holy Spirit's Work from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13 "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." 1 Peter 1:2 “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood” Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”

Quote - Corrie Ten Boom

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." Corrie Ten Boom

Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) - Teacher Tips #1 - Preparing

Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) Teacher Tips - #1 - Preparing from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season”

Quote - Charles S. Robinson

"Success is the world's criterion of merit; fidelity is God's." Charles S. Robinson

Studying Millenials - Spiritual Beliefs & Practices

Lifeway Research has published data from it's study of millennial (born 1980 thru 1991: currently 19-30 years old) that show their spiritual beliefs. Summary: "Two-thirds of American 'Millennials' – those born between 1980 and 1991 – call themselves Christian, but far fewer pray or read the Bible daily, attend weekly worship services, or hold to historical positions on the Bible and its teachings" Practices:

• 31% pray by themselves at least once a day
• 20% never pray
• 8% pray with others on a daily basis
• 65% rarely or never pray with other people.
• 67% say they rarely or never do read "sacred texts"
• 8% read the Bible or other sacred texts on a daily basis
• 21% percent do so at least once a week
• 25% attend religious worship services once a week or more
• 66% rarely or never visit a church, synagogue, mosque or temple
• 20% meet with others at least monthly in a small group to study the Bible or other sacred texts, but 80 percent rarely or never do so

Beliefs:

• 65% identify themselves as Christian
• 14% say they are atheist or agnostic
• 14% list no religious preference
• 8% claim other religions
• 53% disagree (strongly or somewhat) that the Bible is the written Word of God and is totally accurate in all it teaches
• 46% agree strongly & 26% agree somewhat that God is a real being, not just a concept. 28% disagree somewhat or strongly
• 40% agree strongly or somewhat that the devil, or Satan, is not a real being but is just a symbol of evil
• 50% agree strongly or somewhat that "when he lived on earth, Jesus Christ was human and committed sins, like other people." Only 30% strongly disagree.
• 31% agree strongly that Jesus is the only path to heaven.
• 70% believe heaven in a real place; 60% believe hell is a real place.
• 25% believe they will go to heaven after they die, because they have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior
• 16% believe they will go to heaven after they die because they have tried their best to be a good person and live a good life
• 4% believe they will go to heaven after they die because "God loves all people and will not let any of them perish."

James 5:19-20 "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." May we be a people used by God to turn many to worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Quote - William Booth

"God loves with a great love the man whose heart is bursting with a passion for the impossible." William Booth

Studying Millenials - Priorities of Life

Lifeway Research just summarized a study of Millenials (those born between 1980 & 1991: currently 19 to 30 years old) that shows what is most important in their lives. The findings... (permitted to list more than one priority)

• 61% place family at the top of their priority lists
• 25 % Friends
• 17% Education
• 16% Careers/jobs
• 13% Spouses/partners
• 13% Spirituality/religion
• 12% Finances
• 12% Happiness
• 11% Raising kids
• 10% Health
• 9% Activities
• 9% Well-being
• 5% The future
• 5% Nature/pets
• 4% Use of time

Some concerning aspects of this study:

• "two-thirds of those who indicate they trust Christ as Savior mention nothing about faith, religion or spirituality when asked to name what’s really important in their lives"
• “For many Millennials, Christianity is a family heirloom rather than a faith commitment. The Christian faith in America is being passed to a generation that is slow to embrace a relationship with Jesus Christ and even slower to treasure it.” - Thom Rainer

Family, friends, education, jobs, health, marriage, children, etc. are all good things to value. Unfortunately, when those areas of our life take priority over Jesus, they become god-things: idols.

Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me."

May we be a generation that treasures Christ above all else.

Weekly Video Idea - To Be or Not To Be

Got an idea today while talking to some Ministers of Education/Discipleship Pastors from across Kentucky about how we train and encourage our teachers and leaders. Since we can't meet weekly together, I thought maybe I could send out a short (1-2 minute) video via email and my blog. In these videos I'd share some short Scripture, ideas, resources, and encouragement as you prepare for your Sunday lesson. Please let me know if this is something you'd actually use and appreciate!

Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips - Intro from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.

"remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins" James 5:20

Quote - Charles Spurgeon

"I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never had chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and he must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love." -Charles Spurgeon

Quote - John Wesley

"Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the places you can at all the times you can to all the people you can as long as ever you can." John Wesley

Quote - C.S. Lewis

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." C.S. Lewis

Quote - A.W. Tozer

"Salvation is from our side a choice; from the divine side it is a seizing upon, an apprehending, a conquest by the Most High God. Our accepting and willing are reactions rather than actions." - A.W. Tozer